Kelly still not ready to name Foles No. 1 quarterback

A Philadelphia Eagles fan holds up a sign during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Philadelphia Daily News, David Maialetti) THE EVENING BULLETIN OUT, TV OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES

PHILADELPHIA — No matter how thick or innovative his legendary playbook may be, Chip Kelly still relies on the most basic of football principles: If a play is working, keep running it.

For that reason, and because he seems to be enjoying the surrounding mental gymnastics, Kelly will go at least another week without officially appointing a No. 1 quarterback.

How dare Nick Foles keep throwing touchdown passes, 16 this season, and how dare he not throw any interceptions?

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“I think what we have done for the last couple of weeks has worked pretty good,” Kelly said Monday, outside the NovaCare Complex. “So I am going to stick with that formula.”

The formula is simple: Kelly brandishes a medical report verifying that Michael Vick has a recovering left hamstring, shrugs that he is then forced to give Foles the No. 1 reps in practice, waits until it becomes senseless to pretend otherwise, then wink-winks that Foles will be the starter on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, that resulted in an NFL record seven touchdown passes and a victory in Oakland. Sunday, it was good for another three touchdown passes, a 27-13 triumph in Green Bay, the two-game winning streak, and a bump into a virtual first-place tie in the NFC East.

Kelly did confess Monday that Vick is still not healthy enough to practice fully, at least not Tuesday, when the Birds begin their serious preparations for their weekend visit from the Washington Redskins. Foles, then, has the head start.

He just doesn’t have the job title.

“I mean, it’s gotten us touchdowns, no interceptions and two wins,” Kelly said. “So why would you change it?”

One answer would be that it is football tradition to appoint a No. 1 quarterback, if only to wet-blanket any lingering and unnecessary debate. Another is that it was just about 12 weeks ago that he declared Vick the winner over Foles in the Birds’ offseason quarterback competition, stressing that it was time at that point to project that stability.

Kelly, in fact, was called on that in-season audible Monday.

“It was because he had to get the reps,” Kelly explained. “So if I didn’t say anything and Nick was like, ‘I thought there was a competition, but Mike gets 10 snaps and I get two snaps, what’s going on here?’ But Nick’s getting all the reps now because Mike is not practicing.”

Yet since Kelly consistently reports that Vick’s health is improving, that means the competition, if there is one, could become real again...and real soon --- that, despite Foles’ dominance in the last two weeks.

“Yeah, and when that day comes, we’ll have a discussion,” Kelly said. “That day’s not here.”

Yet, if a “discussion” on the issue is inevitable, it would be a departure from Kelly’s original declaration that there is no reason to stray from the week-to-week mystery.

“I was being sarcastic,” Kelly finally exhaled, semi-smiling. “I thought that would go over big in this room. A lot of times, when the questions come this way, there is a lot of sarcasm in it. You have to catch and receive.

“So if we don’t have a quarterback view, it’s because one of our quarterbacks is all banged up. It may be a scoop for all of you guys, but the first-team reps (Tuesday)? Nick’s going to take them. I’ve said that tongue-in-cheek all week long. That’s the way it’s going to be. We don’t have to make any decisions because Mike is not going right now.”

So, he won’t. And considering the recent results, it’s as strong a play as any.